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ZF RM052 Ceramic/RG Review

positivitony

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8/7/14
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It’s been a long time coming is all I can say. As some of you may know, I got into the rep game many, many moons ago with the hope of at least a relatively decent RM rep, and at long, long last, it’s here. And now I have one :) and these are my thoughts.


First impressions: I purchased this a little less than 2 weeks ago from intime (which is my TD of choice for everything I’ve ever bought) as a birthday present to myself, communication was swift (as usual), QC came out perfect first time around, and shipping was a week ahead of schedule, package also arrived packed tight with plenty of foam so no complaints whatsoever on that front. Ryan has always taken great care of me and I doubt I’ll ever switch TD’s for anything.

I was a little hesitant because I used to own the old 052 rep and as some of you know, for lack of a better word, it’s huge. Like toyishly huge. So I went into this one somewhat half-heartedly, and I gotta say, I’m thoroughly impressed! I was fortunate enough to play around with a very similar model at their Beverly Hills boutique many years ago (black ceramic with pave rose gold skull) and its very similar in size and feel! But enough of all this. Lemme give you what you came for!

Case Construction:


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The black ceramic is nice and hefty without being overbearing, the brushing doesn’t photograph the best (at least in my less than 24 hours of experience), but looks amazing in person. The gen brushing is more subtle from what I’ve seen, but I’d say it gives the rep more character. The RG midcase and crown gives it that pop of flash it needed. Dial finishing is as good as a PVD finish is ever going to be. Not much to talk about there. The depth is great but wish the gears were functional.



Comfort:

The rubber it comes on actually surprised me. I thought it was either going to be very stiff and uncomfortable to wear, or too silicone-y and catch lint from whatever I touch, but the materials used feel great! It’s soft enough to be comfortable, but stiff enough to where it doesn’t gather dust (which I had problems with on my old 052). The curvature of the case is a much welcomed addition as well, not only for accuracy, but so it doesn’t wear like a typical 50mm watch, so even on a wrist as small as mine (19-ish cm), it just looks like a watch, not a happy meal toy. I also thought the double deploying was going to annoy me but surprisingly it’s not bad! I was thinking it was going to rip out my many arm hairs and just overall be a pain, but not so! The springs are nice and stiff so I’m not worried about it giving up on me anytime soon. Only thing I will say is the pieces of metal that make up the portion that folds are a touch too thin. Kinda worries me that they’ll bend over time.

Side note for my large-wristed folks, the strap might be a touch too short. I have a small wrist (18-19cm), so I’m used to using the last 2 or 3 holes on a strap, but somehow, someway, I’m a little less than right in the middle. So keep this in mind if you’re considering a purchase.

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Not much else to say about the piece, crown action is smooth and rotor is quiet (for a rep).

Only gripes I have are obvious: no tourby, and no functional gears (from what I see), but what are you gonna do. The gold plating also doesn’t look as thick as I thought it would be, but it’s 650 bucks and not a few hundred thousand, so I’m not gonna cry about it

Overall a fantastic purchase, and one I have been waiting on for years. Will post more pics through my ownership experience. My apologies for the less than professional photography, I was just excited to get this review out there. Will update this continuously with pics and news as things come up. Thanks for reading, gents! My best advice would be this, if the only thing holding you back is the size, go for it and you won’t be disappointed!


As a bonus, here’s a quick little size comparison to my ROO
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Last edited:

Seven7r

Active Member
24/5/15
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Beautiful! Thank you for doing a review on this model. There seems to be a lack of reviews and live pictures of the ZF RM052 around here.
 
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positivitony

Renowned Member
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8/7/14
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Appreciate the feedback fellas! And don’t worry you’ll see plenty of pictures of it in the wild, just to get an idea of how it looks under certain lighting and how it pairs with my many colors of long sleeve shirts lol


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positivitony

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8/7/14
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Quick update fellas! Had to do my first bit of on site maintenance today. The pin that holds one end of the clasp somehow unscrewed itself. Thankfully didn’t lose it but for some preventative maintenance I said screw it and ordered a pin buckle on amazon haha.

Also, getting a small bit of condensation under my crystal between 5 and 6 o clock. It might not be there anymore or it only shows in certain light. Not entirely sure what to do about this. Any advice on that front would be appreciated. I’ll post a pic later today if I see it under sunlight


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positivitony

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Be careful, seems that your buckle is way too lare for the strap. At some point the springbar will be detached as its showing in the pic

Duly noted. Already got a buckle of the proper width so that problem is non existent now


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positivitony

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8/7/14
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Amazing, how is the movement holding? What about the power reserve?


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Movement seems to be fine to me! Never actually timed the power reserve but to my eye it lasts a full day. i usually have to reset the time when i wake up the next day so pretty standard. no surprises thus far
 

positivitony

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8/7/14
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How is this beauty holding up buddy?


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holding up amazing actually! i'm starting to notice i gain a minute or two a day which isn't the end of the world for me. looking to get the zf bubba watson in the next week or two though
 

positivitony

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8/7/14
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and im back! more than 2 years later literally nothing has changed. plating still holding up great even after very frequent wear. if you can still get ahold of one of these, snatch it up. i MAY be willing to trade for it but i'll put that post in its proper place.